Gate opener and closer

ABSTRACT

A swinging gate is hinged on a post, and a coil spring is connected at one end to the top rail of the gate and at its other end to a rocking arm so that when the rocking arm is rocked one way over center, the spring is at an angle to pull the gate closed and when the arm is rocked the opposite way over center, then the spring pulls the gate the other way into open position. There is a crossbar coordinated with the rocking arm and the opposite ends of the crossbar are connected to distant rocking elements on posts spaced from the gate in opposite directions. The rocking arm and the crossbar are in a plane at an acute angle to the plane of the gate in closed position, each rocking element is connected at each end by a cable to the respective ends of the crossbar, and a treadle plate is pivoted so it is normally held upright by a spring anchored on the adjacent post, but when an automobile runs over the plate toward the closed gate, then the treadle plate turns to operate the cables for turning the crossbar and the rocking arm over center for opening the gate, and as the car or vehicle going away from the gate runs over the other treadle beyond the gate then the other treadle moves to operate its cables for rocking the crossbar and the rocking arm over center into the previous or initial gate closing position.

United States Patent [72] Inventor George N. Curtis v 401 1 Millcreek Road. Healdsburg, Calif. 95448 [2!] Appl. No. 860,478 [22] Filed Sept. 24, 1969 [45] Patented Aug. 17, 1971 [54] GATE OPENER AND CLOSER 7 Claims, 11 Drawing Fig.

[52] US. Cl. 49/263, 49/299 [51] Int. Cl. E051 13/00 [50] Field of Search 49/299, 262, 263, 242, 267, 268, 269, 327, 326, 236, 243, 244

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 762,148 6/1904 Crosby 49/253 827,555 7/1906 Nelson et a1. 49/242 833,732 10/1906 Crosby 49/243 916,873 3/1909 Hurst 49/242 943,387 12/ 1909 Cannon 49/299 964,807 7/1910 Pearson 49/299 1,177,467 3/ 1916 Wor1and.. 49/299 X 1,590,102 6/1926 Long 49/244 3,377,746 4/ 1968 Thomas 49/263 X FOREIGN lATENTS 252,155 7/1927 GreatBritain 49/269 610,371 10/1948 GreatBritain 49/269 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Atlorney-George B White ABSTRACT: A swinging gate is hinged on a post, and a coil spring is connected at one end to the top rail of the gate and at its other end to a rocking arm so that when the rocking arm is rocked one way over center, the spring is at an angle to pull the gate closed and when the arm is rocked the opposite way over center, then the spring pulls the gate the other way into open position. There is a crossbar coordinated with the rocking arm and the opposite ends of the crossbar are connected to distant rocking elements on posts spaced from the gate in opposite directions. The rocking arm and the crossbar are in a plane at an acute angle to the plane of the gate in closed position, each rocking element is connected at each end by a cable to the respective ends of the crossbar, and a treadle plate is pivoted so it is normally held upright by a spring anchored on the adjacent post, but when an automobile runs over the plate toward the closed gate, then the treadle plate turns to operate the cables for turning the crossbar and the rocking arm over center for opening the gate, and as the car or vehicle going away from the gate runs over the other treadle beyond the gate then the other treadle moves to operate its cables for rocking the crossbar and the rocking arm over center into the previous or initial gate closing position.

PATENTED AUG! H971 3, 599,372

saw 1 0r 6 INVENTOR.

George N. Curfis ATENIEU AUG] 7191. I F J9 37 2 sum 2 [1F 6 Fig.3

a I INVENTOR.

Attorney PATENTED mm 1 I97! SHEET l BF 6 INVENTOR.

George N. Curfis Afforney INVENTOR. George N. Cuff/5 BY A Attorney PATENTEUAUBI 71971 sum 6 or 6 INVENTOR. George N. Curh's BY A TTor/vy GATE OPENER AND CLOSER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Attempts have been made in the past for opening and closing gates outdoors, such as at the entrance to a farm or to a fenced enclosure on land; however, previous attempts known to applicant were either complicated or needed parts which do not stand up outdoors. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple mechanism wherein the closing and opening of the gate is accomplished by a single spring being shifted over center to bias the gate to closing or opening attitude according to where the rocking anchor of the spring is shifted by approaching or departing vehicles respectively by means of treadles.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gate opener and closer device.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism on the top of the gate post.

FIG. 3 is a view of the mechanism on the top of the gate post in gate-opening position.

' FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the treadle mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the treadle mechanism on lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmental view showing a modified form of the gate opener mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a perspective detail view of a connecting portion of the gate opener mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a modified form of the actuating mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a modified form of the device with the treadle in a position flattened against the ground for the opening of the gate.

FIG. 10 is a fragmental view of the support of the mechanism on top of the post on an invertible bracket.

FIG. 11 is a fragmental view showing the actuating mechanism with cables connected to treadle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I Gate 1 has the usual rectangular frame with one vertical side 2 thereof supported on suitable hinges 3 on a gate post 4. The other vertical side 5 of the gate 1 is adjacent to another post 6 on which suitable means are provided to lock the gate 1.

On the gate post 4 and above the top rail 7 of the gate 1 is provided a rocking arm 8 pivoted at one end 9 thereof on the post 4. A strong coil spring 10 is anchored at its lower end 11 on the top of the top rail 7 of the gate 1. The upper end 12 of the coil spring 10 is suitably anchored in the rocking arm 8.

A generally horizontal crossbar 13 is pivoted on a pivot 14 on the post 4 directly above the vertical side 2 of the gate 1. A vertical crank arm 15 extends from the pivot 14 so that the crossbar 13 is rocked about the pivot 14, the crank arm 15 is rocked in the respective direction beyond the vertical. On the free end of the crank arm 15 is a longitudinal track 16. In the slot 17 of the track 16 moves a suitable roller 18 on a bolt 19 extended from the rocking arm 8 so that as the crank arm 15 is rocked in opposite directions the guided roller rocks the rocking arm 8 correspondingly in opposite directions.

When the crossbar 13 is tilted as shown in FIG. 3, the

, anchor end 12 of the spring 10 is shifted to one side of the plane of the gate 1 over center; thereby it exerts'a pull on the top fail 7 to turn the gate in the direction of the offset of the anchor end 12 of the spring 10, in this illustration for opening the gate 1. When the other side of the crossbar 13 is tilted downwardly, then the crank arm 15 rocks the rocking arm 8 over center in the opposite direction so that the pull of the spring 10 exerted in the opposite direction pulls the gate 1 into closed position. I

From the opposite ends of the crossbar 13 extend suitable anchor eyes 23 and 24 respectively. A cable 25, played around a roller 26 on a bracket 27, near the bottom of the post 4, extends to and is anchored in the portion of a rocking lever 28 below a pivot 29 on which the rocking lever 28 is mounted on a bracket 30 on an adjacent post 31 spaced from the gate post 4 at a sufiicient distance to allow the swinging of the gate in full open position ahead of a vehicle passing the near post 31. Another cable 32 has its upper end anchored in eye'24 at the other end of the crossbar 13 and then is played around another roller 26 on the bracket 27 and has its other end anchored in the upper portion 33 of the rocking lever 28 on said post 31 above the pivot 29 on the adjacent post 31. A treadle 34 is pivoted on a base plate 35. A spring 36 is anchored on a projection on the bracket 30 on the adjacent post 31 at one end thereof and has its other end connected to a top 37 of the treadle 34 so as to normally pull the treadle 34 into a vertical position as shown in FIG. 5. A slack connecting member 38 is connected at one end to a finger 39 projecting from the top 37 of the treadle 34, and at its other end to the upper end of the rocking lever 28, so that when a vehicle rides over the treadle 34, the loose slack connecting member 38, after a predetermined play, is pulled by the treadle 34 so as to rock the lever 28 respectively in opposite directions thereby to pull either cable 25 or cable 32 respectively for opening or closing the gate 1 according to the direction of travel of the vehicle. An identical trip device is provided on the opposite side of the gate 1 equally spaced from the one described and working through another pair of cables 25' and 32.

In this second trip device on the opposite side of the gate 1, the actuation of the lever'28 is reverse to that of the lever 28 of the first described trip device and this accomplished by connecting cable 25 to the lower end of the rocking lever 28 and connecting cable 32' to the upper end of the rocking lever 38, as compared with the connecting cables 25 and 32 to the opposite ends of the rocking lever 28 of the first described trip device.

In order to direct the pull exerted by the spring 10 on the gate 1, the pivot 14 and the pivot 9 are'on parallel axes, and the axes of the pivots 9 and 11 are about 45 included angle relatively to the initial closed position of the top rail 7 of the gate, or relatively to the vertical plane of the gate. This is accomplished by securing a bracket 41 on the pole 4 above the level of the top rail 7 of the gate on which bracket 41 are mounted the pivots 9 and 14 at said angle. As a result of this mounting of the pivots, the crossbar 13, the crank arm 15 and the rocking arm 8 are in a plane at a 45 included angle relatively to the vertical plane of the gate in closed position. This so locates the upper anchor of the spring 10 as to be at the optimum pulling angle on either side of the gate. The plane in which the rocking arm 8 rocks is the 45 plane with respect to the vertical plane at the gate in the closed position. When the gate 7 is turned to a fully open position an entire 90, the upper anchor 12 of the spring I0 is located beyond the plane of the gate 7 to hold the gate open. In the closed position of the gate the upper anchor 12 of the spring 10 is offset forwardly of the plane of the gate so as to hold the gate closed.

A gate latch 42 is operated by the rocking of the rocking arm 8. The latch has the usual bolt 43 pivoted on the vertical side 5 of the gate 1 and is urged by a spring 44 into a keeper 46 on the post 6. An operating line 47 is guided'ln loops 48 along the top rail 7 of the gate to the crank arm 8 and is suitably fastened to the rocking arm 8, so that as the rocking arm 8 rocks over center it pulls the line 47 sufficiently to pull the latch bolt 43 out of the keeper 46 and permitthe opening of the gate. When the gate is closed again the latch bolt 43 snaps into its keeper 46 to hold the gate closed.

In the modified forms shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the connecting and slack devices are different, otherwise the operation of the device is the same as the first form heretofore described.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the free end of the crank arm 15 is.a U-shaped longitudinal track 51, shown in further detail in FIG. 7. A roller 52 on a pin 53 extended from the rocking arm 8 rides in the U-shaped track 51 accomplishing the necessary play for the arcuate swinging of the respective arms.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the actuating mechanism, instead of the connecting member 38, a slack cable or line 54 connects the upper portion 33 of the rocking lever 28 to the finger 39 projecting from the top 37 of the treadle 34. The length of the slack line 54 is such that it permits the spring 36 to return the treadle 34 to the vertical position without actuating the rocking lever 28, but to exert the necessary pull on the rocking lever 28 in the respective directions when the treadle 34 is pressed flat against the ground by the vehicle passing thereover.

In the form illustrated in FIG. 9, instead of the corner bracket 41, an invertible or universal bracket 56 is provided.

This bracket 56 has a curved portion 57 bolted on a metal post 58, from which extends a pivot flange 59 at the aforesaid 45 included angle to the plane of the closed gate. This bracket 56 may be inverted or mounted on an opposite post for opening the gate 1 in any selected direction. The crossbar 13 is pivoted on the lower pivot in said flange 59, and the rocking arm 8 is pivoted on the upper pivot in said bracket flange 58, the upper and lower pivots being in vertical alignment with each other, and in substantially vertical alignment with the hinge axis of the gate-The crank arm 15 is connected to the rocking arm 8 substantially as heretofore described.

In the form shown in FIG. the actuating mechanism is simplified to keep the cables 25 and 32 flat near the ground. Cable 25 is played around a guide roller 61 on the base 35, spaced from the treadle 29 at a distance greater than the height of the treadle 34 toward the gate 1, and the end 62 of cable 25 is anchored on the adjacent'side and near the top of the treadle 29. The other cable 32 is passed along the top of the base 35 and around a roller 63 spaced from the treadle 29 away from the gate 1 and has its end 64 anchored on the other side of the treadle 29 substantially oppositely to the end 62 of cable 25. The cables on the opposite side of the gate 1 are connected to the other treadle inversely so as to work oppositely.

Another limit post 66 may be provided in a position to limit the opening position of the gate, and have a keeper 46 to lock the gate 1 in open position in the same way as it is locked in closed position as heretofore described.

lclaim:

1. In a gate opener and closer fora swinging gate operable by approaching vehicles,

a gate post,

a gate means to support one end of the gate on said gate post swingably about a perpendicular axis,

a rocking element pivoted on the gate post on an axis at an 7 acute angle to the plane of the gate in closed position,

an end portion of said rocking element projecting to one side of the plane of the gate in one extreme position and to the other side of the plane of the gate in the other extreme position,

a coil spring having one end connected to said projecting end portion of said rocking element and the other end to said gate,

means to support said rocking element in an offset position on said pivot axis relatively to said gate whereby the spring connected to said end portion of saidrocking element is offset alternately to one side and the other side of said gate respectively to pull and hold said gate in open and closed positions,

means to limit the movement of the gate to its closed positron,

an actuating device engageable by said approaching vehicle, being spaced from each side of said gate in the closed position to a distance to permit actuation of the gate by an approaching vehicle before reaching the gate,

means to connect each actuating device to said rocking element for rocking said element from an initial gate-closing position over center into gate-opening position and then back into gate-closing position respectively.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 and said connecting means including,

a pivoted member for transmitting rocking motion to said rocking element,

means connecting each actuating device to said pivoted member for rocking said member in opposite directions according to the direction from which the vehicle approaches thereby to rock said rocking element from one of said extreme positions into the other extreme position.

3. The invention defined in claim 2,

a support spaced from each side of the gate post supporting the respective actuating devices,

each actuating device including a pivoted treadle in the path of approaching vehicles,

said connecting means including pulling lines connected to said pivoted member on opposite sides of its pivot, and

means connecting the pulling lines to said treadle for pulling the respective pulling lines corresponding to the directions in which said treadle is turned by the ap proaching vehicle thereby to correspondingly turn said pivoted member to rock said rocking element in the respective directions for shifting the spring over center respectively for opening and closing said gate.

4. In a swinging gate device operable by approaching vehicles,

a gate post,

a gate,

means to support one end of the gate on said gate post swingably about a perpendicular axis,

a rocking arm pivoted on said gate post above the top of said gate on an axis at an acute angle tothe plane of the gate in closed position,

an end portion of said rocking arm projecting to one side of the plane of the gate in one extreme position and to the other side of the plane of the gate in the other extreme position,

a coil spring, one end of said coil spring being anchored on said projecting end portion of said rocking arm and the other end of said coil spring being connected to said gate,

the pivot axis of said rocking arm being at an acute angle relatively to the plane of the gate in closed position, whereby the plane in which said rocking arm rocks intersects the perpendicular plane of the closed gate,

said end portion of the arm at the anchored end of the spring being offset beyond the plane of the gate in the opened and closed positions respectively so as to cause said spring to pull and hold the gate alternately in open and closed positions,

a cross arm pivoted on said gate post and connected to said rocking arm on a pivot axis parallel with and spaced from the pivot axis of said rocking arm for rocking said rocking arm from, an initial gate-closing position to a position beyond the plane of the gate toward the gate-opening position,

an actuating device spaced from each side of the closed position of said gate to a distance to permit actuation of the gate by an approaching vehicle,

an element in the path of the approaching vehicle to operate said actuating device when tripped by said approaching vehicle in respective directions,

and means to connect said actuating device to said cross arm for rocking said cross arm when said element is tripped by an approaching vehicle respectively in opposite directions thereby to rock said rocking arm into the respective extreme positions for shifting the pulling force of the spring on the gate respectively for opening and closing the gate.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, and

a support,

said element being a treadle pivoted on said support, and

said connecting means being pulling lines connected to said treadle and to said cross arm on opposite sides of the pivot of said cross arm.

6. The invention defined in claim 4, and said actuating device including a support,

a pivoted second rocking arm on said support,

arm for rocking said second rocking arm respectively cor- 0 responding to the direction from which a vehicle approaches for closing the opening said gate.

7. The invention defined in claim 4, and

the connection between said cross arm and said first rocking arm being a device to convert the rocking movement of the cross arm into a complete rocking of said first arm from gate-closing to gate-opening positions and vice versa. 

1. In a gate opener and closer for a swinging gate operable by approaching vehicles, a gate post, a gate means to support one end of the gate on said gate post swingably about a perpendicular axis, a rocking element pivoted on the gate post on an axis at an acute angle to the plane of the gate in closed position, an end portion of said rocking element projecting to one side of the plane of the gate in one extreme position and to the other side of the plane of the gate in the other extreme position, a coil spring having one end connected to said projecting end portion of said rocking element and the other end to said gate, means to support said rocking element in an offset position on said pivot axis relatively to said gate whereby the spring connected to said end portion of said rocking element is offset alternately to one side and the other side of said gate respectively to pull and hold said gate in open and closed positions, means to limit the movement of the gate to its closed position, an actuating device engageable by said approaching vehicle, being spaced from each side of said gate in the closed position to a distance to permit actuation of the gate by an approaching vehicle before reaching the gate, means to connect each actuating device to said rocking element for rocking said element from an initial gate-closing position over center into gate-opening position and then back into gateclosing position respectively.
 2. The invention defined in claim 1 and said connecting means including, a pivoted member for transmitting rocking motion to said rocking element, means connecting each actuating device to said pivoted member for rocking said member in opposite directions according to the direction from which the vehicle approaches thereby to rock said rocking element from one of said extreme positions into the other extreme position.
 3. The invention defined in claim 2, a support spaced from each side of the gate post supporting the respective actuating devices, each actuating device including a pivoted treadle in the path of approaching vehicles, said connecting means including pulling lines connected to said pivoted member on opposite sides of its pivot, and means connecting the pulling lines to said treadle for pulling the respective pulling lines corresponding to the directions in which said treadle is turned by the approaching vehicle thereby to correspondingly turn said pivoted member to rock said rocking element in the respective directions for shifting the spring over center respectively for opening and closing said gate.
 4. In a swinging gate device operable by approaching vehicles, a gate post, a gate, means to support one end of the gate on said gate post swingably about a perpendicular axis, a rocking arm pivoted on said gate post above the top of said gate on an axis at an acute angle to the plane of the gate in closed position, an end portion of said rocking arm projecting to one side of the plane of the gate in one extreme position and to the other side of the plane of the gate in the other extreme position, a coil spring, one end of said coil spring being anchored on said projecting end portion of said rocking arm and the other end of said coil spring being connected to said gate, the pivot axis of said rocking arm being at an acute angle relatively to the plane of the gate in closed position, whereby the plane in which said rocking arm rocks intersects the perpendicular plane of the closed gate, saId end portion of the arm at the anchored end of the spring being offset beyond the plane of the gate in the opened and closed positions respectively so as to cause said spring to pull and hold the gate alternately in open and closed positions, a cross arm pivoted on said gate post and connected to said rocking arm on a pivot axis parallel with and spaced from the pivot axis of said rocking arm for rocking said rocking arm from an initial gate-closing position to a position beyond the plane of the gate toward the gate-opening position, an actuating device spaced from each side of the closed position of said gate to a distance to permit actuation of the gate by an approaching vehicle, an element in the path of the approaching vehicle to operate said actuating device when tripped by said approaching vehicle in respective directions, and means to connect said actuating device to said cross arm for rocking said cross arm when said element is tripped by an approaching vehicle respectively in opposite directions thereby to rock said rocking arm into the respective extreme positions for shifting the pulling force of the spring on the gate respectively for opening and closing the gate.
 5. The invention defined in claim 4, and a support, said element being a treadle pivoted on said support, and said connecting means being pulling lines connected to said treadle and to said cross arm on opposite sides of the pivot of said cross arm.
 6. The invention defined in claim 4, and said actuating device including a support, a pivoted second rocking arm on said support, a pair of lines connected to said second rocking arm spaced on opposite sides from the pivot, and being connected to said cross arm on the opposite sides of the pivot of said cross arm for rocking said cross arm in respective opposite directions, said element being a treadle in the path of the approaching vehicle, and a connection between the treadle and said second rocking arm for rocking said second rocking arm respectively corresponding to the direction from which a vehicle approaches for closing the opening said gate.
 7. The invention defined in claim 4, and the connection between said cross arm and said first rocking arm being a device to convert the rocking movement of the cross arm into a complete rocking of said first arm from gate-closing to gate-opening positions and vice versa. 